Knockdown frame for portable buildings.



R. L. KENYON. KNOGKDOWN FRAME FOR PORTABLE BUILDINGS. APPLICATION FILED mm. 10, 1910.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914,

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mtnedsesx I W MW Invert C03 dittormey" R. L.-KEN YON. KNOOKDOWN FRAME FOR PORTABLE BUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED MARIIO, 1910.

1,083,4(M, Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

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Witn eas: W W

ROY =L. KENYON, or wAuKnsiie, Wisconsin.

"Application filed March 10, 1910. SeriallN'o. 548,392.

Waukesha, in. the county of Waukesha and State of lVisconsjin, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements i11 'Knockdown Frames for ortable Buildings, of

Y which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part,;thereof.

This invention relates more particularly "to the joints connecting the various members of the frame for a portable cottage or building. v

Its main objects are to facilitate putting up and taking down the frames of portable buildings without tools; to avoid cutting away and consequently weakening the membe rs of the frame and generally to simplify, improve and increase the convenience of such structures.

It consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts ashereinafter particularly described. and defined i the claims. I

In theaccompanymgdrawing hke characters designate the same parts in the several figures.

I e Figure 1 1s a perspective view showlng an assembled knockdown frame embodying the invention; and Figs, 2 to 8 inclusive are de tail perspective views on an enlarged scale the number and arrangement of the component members of the frame may be varied for buildings of different sizes and for various purposes, without change in the essen:

tial features of construction and without departure from the principle of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the frame comprises side floor sillsor baserails a, side top rails or beams 1), corner posts 0,

intermediate side posts 0, end center posts d,

an intermediate center post d, end fioor sills or base rails e, a ridge pole f adapted to rest on the tops of the center posts cl d, rafters 9' extending from the ridge pole to the corner and side posts 0 c, and'tie rails or beams h connecting the center posts d ci withthe Specification of Letters Patent.-

sides of the x rocxnownraamn Fo'a PORTABLE BUILDINGS.

Patented. Jan. 8, 191a.-

rafters'on each side. Ateither or each end the frame may have, {as shown, a door post 2" extending from o'ne'ofthe tie rails or. beams h downwardly to the opposite floor sill or base rail 6, and connected by a door sill q with the adjacent center post d, thereby forming a door frame. The frame maybe stayed lengthwise by diagonal braces j fastened at one end to the center posted and,

cxtending'upwardly therefrom to the ridge other end.

.pole f, to which they are fastened at the For smallbuildings the intermediate side i posts a and center post at may be'dispens'ed with and the corner posts 'on each side of the building connected directly with each other by single 'base and top rails a and b, and for 'large'r buildings the frame may be extended by adding any desired number of posts 0 and d, as shown.

The center vposts d, ridge pole f and rafters g are detachably fastened together and held in the proper 'relation to one another when the frame isass'embled, as shown by Fig. 2. For this purpose each center post'is provided at the upper end with a central vertical tenon 2, which may consist of a metal pin driven or screwed into the post. It is also provided adjacentto its upper end with two transversemetal plates or bands which are riveted or otherwise fastenedparallel' with each. other to opposite faces of'the post, and are connected adjacent to their ends which project beyond the remaining 0st by' cross. pins i, forming sections with intermediate side and center'- with the plates, loops, eyes, or keepers for engagement with hooks 5 on the rafters g. These hooks may be made as shown, of

strips of band iron or steel bent to the desired shape and riveted or otherwise fastened to the under side of the rafters, adja-' cent to 'their'ends which are chamfered or beveled to fit against the opposite sides of the ridge pole f. The ridge pole is formed with a vertical mortise, socket or hole 6, as indicated by dotted'lines, to fit upon the tenon or pin 2. The upper end of the center post isformed with a square face on which the ridge pole rests around the tenon or pin 2, and on opposite sidesof this square face with beveled faces on which the upper ends of the rafters 9 rest..

The parts are assembled andfsec ured together by placing the ridge pole f on the tenon or pin 2, engaging the hooks 5 with the cross pins 4, and then raisin the outer ends of the rafters into place an fastening them to the top rails b and foornerposts c, as hereinafter explained. Whenso assembled, the inner and upper chamfered or beveled ends of the rafters bear against opposite sides of the ridge pole and thus help to hold it securely in place." The outer and lower ends of the rafters are'fitted to and rest the a upon the upper ends :ofthe-corn'er osts and are fastened thereto and, .to te top jails b, as shown in detail by Fig. 4;. v, Each corner p'ostfs provided at its upper end with a pin or tenon 7 whiohffitsinto a eorresponding socket, mortise or-hole 8jin ,sociated rafter g, thereby-securely holding these members offthe frame in the proper relation to each other. The post c is also provided adjacent to its 'upperjend with a loop 9, which may be formed ina strip of band iron or steel riveted or otherwise fastened to the post. The adjacent end bf the associated top rail' Z) is provided on the under side with a downwardly projecting hook 10 which fitsinto the loop 9 .on the orner post and which ma consist of a strip of band iron or steel ent to the desired shape and riveted or otherwise fas,-.

tened to said rail. Thisra-il is also provided on the under side with an angular metal plate 11 which has an inwardly projecting and vertically notched limb adapted to engage with the innerend of a bolt 12 passing transversely through the associated rafter when the parts are assembled, as shown 1n Fig. 1. The bolt 12;as well as all.

of the bolts employed in the frame, is'pref erably provided with a winged thumb nut 13 to avoid the necessity of .using a wrench in assembling the members of the frame and taking them "apart.

. The tie rails or beams ha reconnected their inner ends with the associated center post 03 by fastenings asshown in detail by' Fig. 3. To the center 0st at the required .pomt a metal band 14 is fastened by rivets ,,or other means, and on opposite sidesof the post thisband is formed into loops to receive-and hold hooks 15 attached to the under side of the rails or beams It at their inner ends. These hooks may be formed of band ironor' steel bent to the desired shape and rive ed or otherwise fastened to said rails or beams.

On their u per sides the rails or beams h are provide with longitudinally notched or forked angle plates 16, which are adapted to be engaged with the ends of a bolt 12 passing trans-versely through and movable up and downin a longitudinal slot '17 formed in the center post d; When the hooks 15 Dave been inserted in the loops of theplate or band 14, the bolt 12 moved downward in the slot 17 into engagement with the notches or upwardly projecting forked limbs of the angle plates 16. The

l coaeoa nut 13 is then tightened on the bolt'and the the lproper relation to one another.

e outer ends of the tie rails or beams h are'secured to the rafters g as showntin'de tail by Fig. 5-. The" ends of the rails or beams h'which are beveled to fit against the parts are thus'securely fastened together in rafters on the under side thereof, are pro 'vided with longitudinally notched or forked angle plates -18 fastene'd-to the underside of said rails orbeams with their forked or notched limbssubstantially flush with said beveled ends, and adapted to be en aged with the protruding lower ends of b o ts 12' passing transversely, through? the rafters '80 at.- the proper points therein. Like or s1mi lar fastenmgs may-be used, to ,secure the braces 7' to the center posts d and ridge pole f. Wherela member of the frame abuts at one end againsta side of another member between the ends thereof, as at the upper end of t' .e door post i where atie rail it rests upon it, they may be connected by fasj tenings as shown in detailby Fig; 6. The

vertical member 71 is-provided at its upper end 'on opposite sides withlongitudinally notched or forked angle plates 16 adapted to be engaged with the protruding lower 12" passing transversely.

base rails a and e are joined to the lower end of a corner post 0, they may be connected by vfastenings as shownin detail by Fig. 7.

The rail a is provided on the inner side at each end with a transversely notched angle plate 11 and the rail 6 is provided on the outer side at. the adjacent end with a transversely notched straight plate 19,.the plate 11 being adapted for engagement with the I inner end and the plate 19 for engagement with the outer endof'a bolt 12 passing transversely through the post 0 parallel with the rail a.

' Where one member of the frame is joined .to a side of another member at the end thereof, as where the sills or rails eand e are joined to the lower ends of the center posts 65 and door post a, they may be connected by a double fastening, as shown in detail in Fig. 8, consisting of two transversely notched plates 19, riveted or otherwise fastened to opposite sides of the rail 6 lengthwise thereof, and a-bolt 12 passing transversely through the postc' in position to be engaged at 1ts protruding ends with the notches in said plates.

Where two rails or members such as the messes end floor sills e and the door sill e are joined to opposite sides of a third member such as a center post (i or door post ifat the end thereof, two pairs of notched plates 19 may be engaged with a single bolt 12 in the intermediate member by bending the plates of one pair outwardly so as to overlap the plae'sof the other pair, as shown in Fig. 1..

In frames for larger buildings, where intermediate side posts are employed, and are each connected at their upper ends with a rafter and two top rails or beams b, the

metal band adjacent to thet'upper end of each post is formed with loops 9 on opposite sides, as shown in Fig. 1-, .to receive the hooks 10 of the adjoining rails b.

By means of the joints and fa'stenings constructed and arranged as shown and hereinbefore described, the various members of the frame may be easily and quickly assembled and taken apart without tools, and when so assembled and connected will form a stable structure.

Some of the fastenings may be used in dif ferent locations in the frame or substituted one for another, and in details of construction,and arrangement of parts the fasten;

ings as well as the members of the frame, may be modified in various ways in the adaptation of the invention to buildings of different sizes for various purposes, as will be apparent to those familiar with the art to which the invention ertains. lVhen a floor is provided,'it is laid upon and supported by the sills or' base rails a and e.

The frame itself may be leveled and supported in any convenient manner, for instance, bystakes is driven into the-groun in position for the postsc, c, d and 2' to rest upon, as shown in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1v In a knockdown frame for portable buildingsthe combination of a center post,

a ridge pole adapted to rest upon the upper end of said post, rafters having beveled ends fitted against the opposite sides of the ridge pole, and fastenings for detachably securing said parts together with the ridge pole confined between the beveled ends of the rafters said fasteningsconsisting of memberson opposite sides of the center post adjacent to its upper end and of members on the under sides ofthe raftersadjacent to their inner.

ends adapted to be engaged with themem bars on the center post when the outer ends of the rafters are lowered and to be intertherewith when the outer ends of the rs are elevated into place. 3. In a knockdown frame for portable buildings the combination of, a center post having oppositely beveled faces at the upper end, a ridge pole adapted to rest upon the-upper end of said post bctween said beveled faces, rafters having beveled ends fitted to opposite sides of the ridge pole and adapted to rest adjacent thereto upon the beveled end faces of the center post, .and

fastenings for detachably. securin said parts together with the ridge pole confined between the beveled ends of the rafters said fastenings consisting of members on opposite sides of the center post adjacent to its upper end and of members on the lowersides of the rafters adjacent to their inner ends adapted to be engaged with the-members on the center post when the outer ends of the rafters are lowered and to be interlocked therewith when the outer ends of the rafters are elevated into place.

3. In a knockdown frame for portable buildings the combination of a center post and a ridge pole adapted to rest upon the upper end of said post, one of said parts having av tenon 'fitting into a socket in the other part, rafters fitted to abut at one endagainst opposite sides of the ridge pole and fastenings adapted to detachably secure the rafters to the center post with the ridge pole confined between the inner ends of the rafters-said fastenings consisting of keepers on opposite sides ofv the center post adjacent to its upper end and of hooks on the lower sides of the rafters adjacent to their inner ends adapted to be engaged with said keepers when the outer ends of the rafters are 'lowered and to be interlocked therewith when the outer ends of the rafters are elevated into place.

4, In a knockdown. frame for portable buildings the combination of a center post provided at the upper end with a tenon and adjacent thereto with cross plates connected on opposite sides of the post by pins, a ridge pole having a socket removably fitted on said tenon, and :rafters provided on the1r 5. In a knockdown frame for portable buildings the combination of a vertical mem- .ber formed with a longitudinal. slot and provided adjacent thereto with a metal band formed into'loops on opposite sides thereof,

a bolt passing loosely through said slot, and

horizontal members each provided at one end on opposite sides with angular metal plates or hooks, one of the platcsor hooks of each horizontal member fitting into a loop of the band on the vertical member while the other is forked for engagement with 'one end of said bolt.

6. In a knockdown frame for portable buildings, the combination of a vertical member having a vertical pin or tenon at its upper end and a loop onone side adjacent thereto, an inclined member fitted atone While the other is laterally notched to enend to the upper end of the vertical member gage with the bolt in the inclined member.' 1;

and provided with a socket to'receive said In rwitness whereof I hereto aflixmy sigin or tenon and with a bolt passing horinature in presence of two witnesses.

v 5.; zentallythro'ug-h it, and a'-hor1zontal-.mem- ROY L. KENYON.

be! provided 'at one end on adjacent sides Wit nesses:

' hengular plates or hooks-oneof which (11145; L. Goss, into said loop of the vertical member FRED PALM. 

